What Matters Now
by Skye
Summary: Sissi had always wanted to know the group's secret. Years later, Yumi finally decides to tell her. Yumi/Sissi


_Notes: Post a made up ending._

**What Matters Now**

The clock nearby ticked away, and then the minute hand moved. It was now exactly six. Yumi didn't flinch, even though it was their exact meeting time. Sissi was often late, without so much as an excuse, only happily grabbing Yumi's arm and going off to do whatever they had planned. Yumi really preferred it that way. Meaningless arguments only led to further frustration. Though Sissi had been prone to I causing /I these arguments in the past, she now not actually avoided getting into them.

"I was lonely before. But there's no reason for me to be like that now that I have you," Sissi had once said to her.

The minute hand moved again, now to a minute after six, and Yumi was surprised to see Sissi running over to her, composed as always though she seemed in a hurry. As Sissi reached her, she embraced her.

"You're early," Yumi said with a smile.

"I am? I should be just on time... Or a little late..." Sissi said, looking at the clock.

"Well, early for you," Yumi said.

"Come on! You can't be mad at me," Sissi said with a sulking tone.

"Oh no, I'm not really," Yumi assured.

"That's good," Sissi said, tightening her hug. "Because in two days, it's going to be a special day," she said.

"That's right... One year, huh?"

"Who knew I could put up with you for that long," Sissi said, though she still hugged Yumi with as much enthusiasm.

Yumi felt the familiar butterflies, and again thought about how lucky she was. Sissi's the lucky one, her male friends would say, as they often did imply. But she really had gotten lucky. She was awkward with relationships, messing up her previous one with Ulrich before it ever really began. But Sissi, who was open with these things and could hand-pick whoever she wanted, had chosen her above everyone else.

And this was pure luck. When she had given up on Ulrich for good, Sissi had gone out of her way to badger her about it. Yumi had done everything to try and ignore her and brush her off. But then came a part of her teasing that Yumi was just curious enough to really respond to.

"You know, you're so much like Ulrich," Sissi had said.

"Maybe I am," Yumi had agreed with her, knowing this was one of the best ways to get people to have less to say. But the comparison still pissed her off, with how angry she was at Ulrich at the time. "So what?" she had added, unfortunately showing her irritation.

But for once, Sissi hadn't been playing off of it. "So, I like Ulrich," she had said nervously. "And, so maybe I like you too. Why don't you forget him, and date me?"

"Why don't I?" Yumi had replied, thinking Sissi was perhaps up to something.

"Why not tonight?"

"Why not?"

"So you'll be there."

"I will," Yumi had asserted.

Though the conversation had ended with tension. Yumi ended up showing up, telling herself it was just to spite the other girl. But that attitude completely changed when she had seen how Sissi looked showing up for the date. She was dressed up nicely, and blushed in response to her in conversation. After Yumi had gotten over the realization that she was I serious /I , she began to be just as serious, letting her defences down, and getting to know Sissi in a way she had never even considered her before. She turned out to be intelligent, witty, and unlike Ulrich, was very open about the fact she liked Yumi.

So Yumi had stayed with her, now for a year, luckily. She was lucky to have been able to get to know the real Sissi. She never would have guessed that the pushy, obnoxious Sissi from before would have become such a kind and loving girlfriend. So she was a little clingy, for Yumi that was an easy trade-off. Ulrich didn't know what he was missing.

The only reason that Sissi at least become friends with them before, Yumi thought, was really because none of them had actually given her a chance. And the reason for that, other than Ulrich's diversion to her, was the secret they had all kept. That secret had pushed Yumi apart from everyone outside of their group, including her own family. Though knowing was a necessity to keep the world blind to the situation, she had hated having to keep this secret, especially from the ones she cared about.

But it was all over now. Jeremy had figured out how to get rid of Xana for good. Though it had been a shock to go from being constantly on alert to not having to worry much at all, Yumi had gradually let the relief of being able to get back to her everyday life sink in. Things were nice now. Though not perfect, the everyday problems she faced now seemed so trivial.

It was just somehow, she'd always wanted to make up for having to lie to everyone. Telling her parents was out of the question, they likely wouldn't believe her, and might think she was going crazy. But telling Sissi, a person who had been onto them, and actually figured things about on multiple occasions, that might be doable. Yumi had thought of this for a while, wondering how to give Sissi the truth and let her keep it, but wasn't really sure how to bring up the topic.

Since Sissi now went nowhere near the topic, not surprising since it had been a while and Sissi was actually interested in I her /I , and not her secret now, maybe Yumi would have to be the one to bring it up. On that date, Yumi decided to just take a breath and say it. "You remember when we didn't really hang out at all and we were both crushing on Ulrich?"

"Yes," Sissi said hesitantly. "Do I want to? That's another story."

"You always thought we were keeping a secret, some big conspiracy, didn't you?"

"Well you were, weren't you?" Sissi asked, only half-jokingly.

"Yep," Yumi confirmed. "And right now, I think I should tell you about it. If you promise not to spread it around."

"Well, maybe I do, maybe I don't," Sissi teased.

"Fine," Yumi said, walking ahead.

"Wait, wait! I promise! I was always just dying to know, but you knew that much. You'll really tell me now?" Sissi asked.

"Yeah," Yumi nodded, then paused, thinking of how exactly to put it.

"Oh, you're just teasing me, aren't you?" Sissi said.

"No!" Yumi insisted seriously. "But it's a really weird thing to hear. I don't know if you'll believe me."

"I will. Just tell me!" Sissi begged impatiently.

"Well, we had a lot going on then. Jeremy found a super computer, and Aelita was kind of attached to it, and to buy Jeremy time free her from it we all had to fight inside the computer, in a different world almost, against this evil AI who tried to kill us all the time. You actually found out about it more than once. You were even there at the beginning, but you forgot all about it, because Jeremy figured out how to erase time where everyone forgets what happened except for us. Then the evil AI escaped from the super computer, and we kind of got in over our heads, but, it's all over with now." Yumi took a deep breath as she finished it. She had left out a lot of details, but that was the basic story.

"Oh," Sissi said calmly, blinking as she showed a small bit of surprise. "So it was something like that."

"Yeah..." Yumi said. This wasn't the kind of reaction she had been expecting. Then again, what kind of reaction could she have expected?

"It's good to know I can count on you staying on Earth now, instead of that... Wherever you went. Now, what do you want to do to celebrate once we reach one year?" she asked, beginning to spout off plans.

Yumi frowned at first, hearing Sissi just going back to trivialities. But slowly her face softened, and she even smiled. That was right, what she had just been talking about wasn't very important anymore. What mattered now was what she had been fighting for in the first place: a normal, peaceful existence. She could now concentrate on her family, and other things that she'd really had no time or energy for before. Things like romance.

And apparently Sissi hadn't completely glossed over the revelation. In the middle of their conversation that had led in a totally different direction, she felt the need to vocalize to Yumi a passing thought.

"I can picture it now. You were one of those sexy, well-dressed super heroines."


End file.
